God's Protection!

God created Adam and Eve and they lived in the beautiful garden paradise He had prepared for them. There God provided for their needs. There they lived in safety. Blessed by God, what more could they desire? As the relationship began between Creator and created, God desired to be TRUSTED and obeyed. After all, He, the Creator of all that is good (Gen. 1:4, 10,12,18,21,25,31), knows what is truly good for man.

Note the one limitation God placed on man in the garden.
“(15) The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, (17) BUT OF THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL YOU SHALL NOT EAT, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” ( Genesis 2:15-17 ESV)

What was there to not understand regarding this command? Of all the trees in the garden that were good for food, all could be enjoyed except one. There was freedom to pick from every other tree that was there except for this one of which God was very specific. How difficult could it be to leave one tree alone while savoring the sweetness of all the rest?

From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the fruit was not to be eaten. To me it appears that God was trying to protect man’s innocence. Some seem to think the only way to distinguish and to understand sin is to experience it. That is not true. By learning and maintaining a focus on what is right and true, whenever confronted with sin we can know what is wrong. Rather than man seeking that knowledge through his own experience, God seeks for man to TRUST HIM FOR THE KNOWLEDGE.

When it comes to seeking things out our own way we are most likely to stumble and fall into sin. We are not always as strong and wise as we might think. God has provided His commands because HE KNOWS what is good and what is not good. Regardless of what command of His we might be focusing on, this should be kept in mind. God seeks to bless us. God seeks to protect us. God seeks to spare us the things we would bring upon ourselves when His Will is departed from. We don’t have to conduct research on evil in order to faithfully follow in His Way.

As we enjoy the sweetness of the things God encourages us to freely partake of in life, let us continue to TRUST what He has declared to be good and true so that our innocence may be safeguarded. That is the blessing He seeks for us to experience.

Have a great day PRAISING GOD FOR THE LIFE PARAMETERS HE HAS SET!
Carl

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